Rudy’s Barbershop chain opening in Highland Park

HIGHLAND PARK — The revival of the barbershop is spreading to Highland Park, where two new shops are now in the works on Figueroa Street. Last week we reported on a proposed barbershop-restaurant planned for the 5700 block of Figueroa Street. This week, we have news that Seattle-based Rudy’s Barbershop will be opening a store one block south as part of an L.A.-area expansion.

The Highland Park Rudy’s in the 5600 block of Figueroa won’t have a restaurant but will have eight seats and a unique design that will set it apart from the company’s approximately 20 other shops, said Chief Executive Officer Brendon Lynch.

“I fell in love with the space,” said Lynch, who lives in Los Angeles, of the renovated storefront. “If we belong anywhere, it’s Highland Park. It’s a great fit.”

In the L.A. area, Rudy’s already operates shops in Downtown, Los Feliz and Studio City. In addition to the Highland Park shop, which is scheduled to open in November, another Rudy’s is underway in Huntington Beach.

Lynch said Rudy’s is opening more shops nationwide as the market for men’s grooming grows and attracts more competitors.

Rudy’s was one of the first in a new wave of barbershops when it opened more than 20 years ago. Since then, the new generation of barbershops with a hip and energetic atmosphere as well as an ample supply of grooming products have become more common. The goal, Lynch said, was to turn the barbershop into a “gathering place” instead of just a place to get your hair cut, Lynch said.

50 comments

Housing and rent will keep going up, pushing the poor and uneducated further out (say hello to San Bernardino – it’s beautiful this time of year)…who knows, Highland Park might even turn into a safe, clean neighborhood again…free of trash, graffiti, and crime.

Correction. Highland Park USED to be lame. 5 years ago, there were basically zero amenities. Today, there are new restaurants, coffee shops, dessert spots, and a variety of new entertainment options. If you don’t like amenities, move to San Bernardino where you will not be bothered for years to come.

More bars are you fucking kidding me??? They’ve processed over 70 liquor licenses in HLP in the past few months. Take your drunk ass back to where you came from. The last thing HLP needs is more drink drivers on the streets!!!!!

First thing, most of those bars are beer and wine only. I’m not getting drunk unless you’re serving vodka, rum, gin, or some amazing combination of all of those. Second, I uber everywhere, I never drive myself. Third, check yourself before you wreck yourself. Fourth, have a good day.

FYI, not everyone who moved to Highland Park is recent years is a hipster. Some, if not many of us moved here because our old neighborhoods were completely unaffordable and this was the best of the worst neighborhoods that were still relatively affordable. But don’t think for a second, that I would stick around if I could afford to live in a nicer, cleaner, and safer place without all the “anti-hipster” sentiment.

I’m just hoping that in the end, the money wins and those WITHOUT the ability to understand that both “hipsters” and Latinos can coexist in a neighborhood, get pushed out to much worse neighborhoods – probably somewhere in the inland empire, free of all the horrible amenities they seem to hate.

South Pasadena is now well over a million dollar neighborhood and one of the most livable/walkable and bikable cities in LA county. This emerging stretch of fig has the potential to have that kind of effect for the folks that live adjacent to it. I imagine a lot of people who bought single family homes in HLP we’re priced out of buying in south pas and eagle rock. In a couple more years this stretch of fig will be the beating heart of this neighborhood again. But I guess that won’t cater to everybody.

Everyone who has money comes to live in California. This will always be true and the richest people from inner America, also: China, India, Europe, etc will continue to move to SF and LA as long as they can.

Interesting……I keep hearing/reading that there are forces pushing to make Highland Park Los Angeles’ eastern luxury shopping destination. While it is a big leap in miles from Robertson Blvd. it is starting to seem more and more like it will become a reality. Obviously Rudy’s isn’t “luxury” per se but it represents an early foothold.

Also, while I don’t expect a Sally Hershberger or someone of her stature to open up shop on Fig anytime soon I could see one of the younger celeb stylists, say a Mark Townsend, doing so. So many of the younger sylists live on the east side and more and more of their upscale and celebrity clients also moving east so it seems almost inevitable.

Wait – doesn’t Rudy’s have to get permission from Occidental Students United Against Gentrification? You know, from those kids who’s parents are shelling out $65K a year to go to an elite private school who whine about the rents going up in their improving neighborhood?

Good job, everybody…with all of the comments and heated debates over the past few years, making Highland Park synonymous with the word gentrification. Turning HLP into some sort of poster child has really scared off speculative investors and cool young people from coming here. Whew!

The reason gentrification happens so rapidly (don’t read past this “Sexxy Joe” and Mando Medina) is the so called “gentry” have disposable income. That disposable income flows into new business that are much more profitable than a $99 cent store or other basic necessity outlets. Those profits are reinvested (at the very minimum) in upkeep and maintenance and more likely in other local endeavors. A once neglected and depressed neighborhood begins to flourish…snowball effect.

It is unfortunate to see the the anti-gentrification crowd try to stop what is an unstoppable market force. I makes me wonder if what they are really saying when they are expressing anti-gentrification or hipsters sentiment is; we don’t like white people.

Dream Team- Nothing to do with race. And only white people are among “the gentry”? I don’t like yuppies and rich people in general, I’ll admit it. Some of them, I assume, are nice people. But if they were born rich, they act entitled, and if they became rich on their own they are usually ruthless and/or heartless. People that value money and possessions above other things aren’t people I enjoy hanging out with.

And thank you so much for making our awful depressed neighborhood FLOURISH!

Zaius, Your comment is confusing on so many levels. I personally believe that for some, there is a strong racial motive for the anti-hipster sentiment. Also, Highland Park is hardly a place for the rich to gather. In fact, I would argue that the recent rise in Highland Park’s popularity is a direct result of it being more affordable, making home ownership possible in comparison to the more expensive equivalents – Silverlake, Eagle Rock, S. Pasadena, Los Feliz, etc. And finally, your blatant prejudice against those you perceive as rich is just as foolish as me saying that all poor people are lazy, filthy, and uneducated – although there may be some truth to both assumptions, it hardly defines an entire group. But, the only way one can overcome such prejudice is to be open to new experiences without bringing negative stereotypes into the equation.

But if you hate wealth so much, why would you live in a city with such a high concentration of wealth? Wouldn’t it make more sense to move to the South where there is a high concentration of poverty and you won’t be burdened with being surrounded by people that act entitled (whatever that means)?

The solution to rising rents and displacement via gentrification is infill development. Cut red tape and streamline zoning so mere mortals from within the community can start to build housing and commercial property again (granny flats, home businesses, food stalls, adaptive reuse, etc. — with minimal hassle from City Hall.)

I love this news. Looking forward to getting haircuts at this new Rudys and not having to drive to their downtown location. Another huge step forward for Fig. In a few years it will be a totally different street and these changes cannot happen fast enough!

Really, another barbershop? Does this stretch of Fig really need another barbershop, hair salon or nail shop? I love the change that’s happening, but why are they opening all of the same shops? Bakery/coffee shops and salons are the majority of the business. Let’s get creative, people.

Rudy’s used to give good haircuts when there were not so many of them. The stylists are pretty bad and don’t stay long. I gave up on them years ago. Go to Manic Panic on York for the same price and a better haircut.

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